Lucifer’s Hammer – Be And Exist

Genre: Heavy Metal
Country: Chile
Label: Dying Victims Productions
Year: 2024
 
Hailing from the land of Neruda, Sepuldeva and Marcelo Salas, Lucifer’s Hammer are no strangers to anyone that digs trve as steel Heavy Metal. As I mentioned 2 great men of Letters let’s notice that Lucifer’s Hammer is also a science fiction post-apocalypse-survival novel by American writers Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle that was first published in 1977. It was nominated for the Hugo Award for Best Novel in 1978, and you should probably check it out. As for the Chileans they are already about a decade in the streets and there is no excuse to ignore such a qualitative band. Of course a few will remember their very nice demo “Night Sacrifice” (2013) or their debut full-length “Beyond the Omens” (2016) that it was actually the one that introduced them to us. Eventually their future full-lengths, 2018’s “Time is Death” and 2021’s “The Trip” made their name strong in the underground circles beyond the Atlantic Ocean and now the one and only Dying Victims signed them in order to spread their message in wider audiences. Their 4th effort has tremendous compositions! The mixture of equal parts 70’s and 80’s influences as long as half parts melody and half part sharp riffs and fast yet emotional soloing can only have one result, especially when it is accompanied with passionate vocal lines. Ok the vocal lines are nothing extraordinaire, but are definitely above average than all NWOTHM bands out there and furthermore they fits like a glove to the songs’ atmosphere. So what we got? Memorable choruses, catchy in the veins of Judas Priest rhythms and fist pumping tempos. Man these guys know how to write great songs. The simple, still effective, guitar work is something that can’t just say a couple of good words about it and that’s it. We are dealing with the best work that I can remember for years. The instrumental Fear of The Anubis is a 6 minutes long orgasm of Running Wild inspired and Maiden-like (from middle 80’s era) crescendo of leads and solos. While other songs have a Scorpions like influences or Dokken, Heavy Pettin’, Diamond Head, Europe, Witch Cross, Virgin Steele and even Kiss, all filtered perfectly in an amalgam of top notch quality Heavy Metal that will be mentioned for years. A must buy album or as we used to say in Metal Invader in the 90’s a buy or die situation!!! Highlights: “Real Nightmares”, the with Uli Jon Roth vibes “Glorious Night”, the twin guitar a la Thin Lizzy “Son of Earth” and “Medusa Spelling”. Of course last but not least the aforementioned “Fear of the Anubis” which is probably my personal favorite.